Grizzlies sweep first half of conference play; defeat Pratt in straight sets

Story by Kalon Fullerton: Butler Atheltics

Ivy Fink had 13 kills, Caitlyn Rexroat had 13 digs, and the seventh ranked Butler Grizzlies won their 17th match in a row as they swept the Pratt Beavers, 3-0, at the Power Plant in El Dorado on Monday.

The Beavers kept it close in the first set, trading points with Butler early. But the Grizzlies ended on a 4-0 run to take the first set, 25-17. Rainey Aven led the way for the Grizzlies with two aces and five assists.

In the second set, the Grizzlies started with a flurry, forcing an early Pratt timeout with an 8-3 lead. They never looked back, leading the whole way and taking the set 25-12. Sophomore Kayli Duncan, coming off a week that saw her named NJCAA player of the week, starred in the second, with three kills, and Caitlyn Rexroat helped defensively, with four digs in the set.

Butler's domination continued in the third, jumping out to an 8-2 lead. Pratt had no answer for Butler's length at the net, as the Grizzlies recorded eight blocks in the match, and they would cruise through the third set, winning it 25-11, and winning the match 3-0.

With the win, the Grizzlies improved to 22-2 on the season, and 8-0 in conference play.

"They were excited for tonight, because they swept the conference." Head coach Lisa Lechtenberg said of the team's confidence amidst the winning streak. "They know that they're becoming big time. They know that they're doing some stuff in Butler history that's never been done before."

"I think we could've played a lot better, but we always say a win is a win. But we've got a lot more in us," Kayli Ducan said of her team's performance.

The Grizzlies are through the first half of the conference season, and they will welcome the Dodge City Conquistadors to the Power Plant on Wednesday, a team that they swept in Dodge City just seven days ago.

"I really feel like we approach all teams the same, we practice the same, no matter who we're playing we go in with the mindset that we're going to play Buco ball, and try to do our best" Duncan said.